the company said it was sent and delivered. >> reporter: but the shocking part about the thefts for victims is the small child, seen riding on the suspect's bike. >> i have small children. and i think it's just a horrible example. you need to set good examples for your children. and you need to be a good role model. >> horrid. it's just horrid. it's just horrid. and i think they use the child to make us believe that he was just a guy out for a ride. >> reporter: donna johns is the one who alerted her community that a thief might be in their midst after finding empty boxes near her home. her neighbor placed a dummy box with dirty clothes to lure the suspect so he could catch him with surveillance equipment. on thursday say they arrested this man, 31-year-old manuel anthony ramirez as he was casing the neighborhood, toddler in tow. >> i guess that's something that maybe kind of shocks the conscience. >> reporter: officer albert morales said he thought he had seen it all in his 17 years as a cop until last week.

he warns residents to be the officers' eyes and ears to help them nab suspected crooks. >> as we get closer to the holidays right now, i think this is very important information for the public to listen to and to understand that you have to be safe. >> reporter: morales says a toddler was a suspect's relative. officers returned the child to his family while they booked ramirez for petty theft. i spoke with a u.s. postal inspector in richmond. he tells me his office is looking into this case to see if the suspect broke any federal laws. we're live in south san jose, damian trujillo, nbc bay area news. >> that is unbelievable. thank you very much, damian. well, it is the first big storm of the season. change in the weather bringing rain, wind, and snow. and now even a report of a possible tornado north of sacramento. let's get right to chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. there are two more storms coming our way. lots of raincoats out there today, jeff. >> much needed activity here across the bay area. it's been months since we've

seen anything close to this here across california. and it was wild here throughout the morning commute. you can see some of that rain that slammed us here across the bay area. what we found some of the heaviest rainfall up into the north bay with santa rosa over 1 inch. and anywhere from san francisco southward into parts of the east bay, about a quarter to a half inch. in the south bay, getting quite a bit less with.11. it was also very gusty today. the top wind gusts coming in san francisco at 59 miles per hour. so let's get a current look at the radar. what we are finding here that loops around is some showers starting to develop to the north. that's part of this second system we're going to be following for tonight. this will gradually push rain down into the san francisco peninsula. and of course, the giants have their game for tonight. so anyone heading out that way will want to keep your poncho handy, because there is the possibility of rain throughout that game. meanwhile we talked about that potential tornado to the north of sacramento. we'll bring you into some of the severe weather we were tracking

here near yuba city. we're looking at several rotating thunderstorms as the kcra helicopter, our sister station in sacramento was tracking this strong thunderstorm where we did see a few potential funnels trying to drop down out of the wall cloud. but no reported tornado. if you have any loved ones in this area or family, right now some of the strongest weather from the rotating thunderstorm is right near grass valley, down to lincoln, also near that interstate 80 corridor. we're going to continue to track this strong weather, and also the sierra snow coming up in that full forecast. a lot going on throughout this week. decision 2012. we are less than an hour away from the third and final presidential debate. and as you can see in this live picture, the stage is set. the audience members are there. the 90-minute face-off will take place at lynn university in boca raton, florida. and the topic of discussion tonight, foreign policy. florida is considered a key

battleground state. and the stakes are high tonight. with only 15 days until election day, the race could not be tighter. nbc bay area's marianne favro with a look at the three things you should watch for in tonight's debate. >> foreign policy is the topic of tonight's debate. and as if on cue, a slew of hot button national securities are front and center, from iran to libya. we talk with bay area political science experts about what to watch for in tonight's debate. the stakes are high in boca raton, florida, tonight. the latest nbc news/wall street journal poll shows president obama and governor romney in a dead heat, 47 to 47 among likely voters. >> that tells you the potential for this race to be a little unexpected. >> reporter: tonight the candidates take on foreign policy. governor romney is expected to question president obama's handling of the violence at the u.s. consulate in libya that led to four american deaths. also likely on tonight's agenda, iran's controversial nuclear

program and relations with israel. so what should you, the voter be watching for during this final debate before the election? we went to dennis gordon, chair of the political science department at santa clara university for advice. >> are there any grand issues that emerge? does mitt romney raise a question about the soviet nuclear arsenal? sometimes president obama is criticized for signing an arms control treaty with the soviets that the americans claim he gave away too much to him. >> reporter: see if they go beyond to global, humanitarian issues. and read between the rhetoric. do the candidates have a plan? >> and actually coming up with the real tools and the policy that they need the do their mission, and to not have it drug out, and to have it actually work, not just in the large scale talking that the candidates do, but concrete things. >> reporter: even though the focus of the debate is foreign policy, you can bet both men will work to show voters how

their policies overseas will ultimately benefit the economy here at home. and both candidates also must overcome how they appear before the voters. strategists say obama must show he has guts and a positive vision, while romney has to work on his likability and expand on his ability to be mr. fix-it for our country. during tonight's debate, the two candidates will be seated at a table similar to what we saw during the vice presidential debate. marianne favro, nbc bay area news. >> thanks, marianne. you can watch the presidential debate right here on nbc bay area. coverage begins at 6:00. residents of a san bruno neighborhood who lost so much in the 2010 pipeline explosion have now also lost their patience. they're demanding the resignation or removal of michael peavy. peevy is the president of the state utilities commission. petitions are circulating on

movon.org calling for his ouster. they say the last straw was hen he brokered a back room deal for mediation of hearing instead of a public and transparent process. >> it is really clear mr. peevey has an interest in the utilities company interests rather than the public. so that's why we're coming for academy award now. and it's very difficult for us. very difficult for me to every day have to relive my daughter not being here with me. >> san bruno's mayor announced that tomorrow's council meeting that members will consider a resolution also calling for peevey's resignation or removal. and he surging other cities or counties to join in that effort. we have new information tonight about a sex scandal at piedmont high school. the scandal revolves around accusations of a fantasy sex league involving the boys varsity sports teams and girls at that school. administrators are not speak going to the media. a senior girl blasted the principal today, saying he got all the facts wrong, and wrote a

letter to the piedmont patch. the student writes that the students didn't get points for actually having sex with the girls, but it's just a fantasy league. they got points if they heard girls on the list were sexually activity. she called the game infantile and said it was basically a gossip log. she accuses the principal of basically sensationalizing the whole thing. giants fans are turning out for tonight's game seven with ponchos and raincoats too. a soggy game seven is better than no game seven at all. with the giants' rough start in the finals, some fans weren't sure they would make it this far. but tonight the faithful are turning out in droves and not about to let a little rain dampen their spirits. >> in case there is weather. >> we have our pancho villas. >> orange ponchos. we came prepared. >> yeah, it might be a little rainy. but the fans are so excited, i don't think it's going to make

one difference. >> not a difference at all. now if the giants can win tonight, it will be the first time since 1985 that a team has come back from a 3-1 deficit to take the league championship. still ahead at 5:00, deadly concerns linked to a popular energy drink. the death that now have the feds investigating. plus, tracking the pulse of america from right here in the bay area. the company that can tell how people are really feeling right after a presidential debate. and good evening. i'm jeff ranieri in the nbc bay area weather center. we're tracking another system that is now starting to push into northern california with plenty of wet weather. of course we're on storm watch as the giants and the cardinals go at it for tonight. do expect a chance of showers if you're still headed that way with temperatures in the 50s.

a new era under way at yahoo, and so far so good for

the company's latest ceo. scott budman is tracking the numbers from yahoo and wall street's reaction to it as well. scott? >> reporter: jessica, the reaction to this earnings report has been positive. and we haven't been able the say that about yahoo since it announced its latest choice for ceo that is former google exec marissa meyer. this afternoon she led investigators through a pretty strong earnings call. yahoo's numbers came in ahead of expectations. she says she is proud of the team she has been putting into place and is just starting to make yahoo into a better company. investors pushing stock up by about 5% in after-hours trading. a bad day for amazon.com, and this has nothing to do with shopping. the company also operates servers in the cloud for companies like netflix. those went down today causing some of their clients to go offline. now most of the companies appear to be back online. amazon blames connectivity issues for the outage. the tech world will focus on apple tomorrow morning.

the cupertino company expected to unveil among other things a new smaller version of its ipad. shares of apple stock moved higher by 4% today on optimism about a new product and more sales. we will be at the apple event tomorrow morning, sending out live updates over twitter. we'll also see lots of tweets come out from tonight's debates. and a silicon valley company is tracking every single one of them. netbase of motain view has this, the mood meter, one of the ways they can show which candidate is trending with social media users. when we use social media, we're more truthful about our politics than when we respond to polls. >> but when you're just conversing on social media, whether it's a facebook post or you're tweeting about something that you're delighted about or super angry about, it's spontaneous. it's free. and it's honest. >> and it is kind of fun to watch. check it out. you can find this, the mood meter at net-based.com. you can expect it to move a lot

during the debate tonight. and the company also tracks brands and can tell you how people are tweeting or posting about whatever it is you sell in, janelle, a presumably honest way. >> okay, scott. we can expect to see a lot of traffic online tonight. thank you so much. >> you bet. in other news tonight, an east bay cyclist is in critical condition after colliding with a flock of wild turkeys. the freak accident happened in an area of contra costa county where the gobblers are in abundance. nbc bay area's jodi hernandez is live in benicia where the cycling community is shaken. jodi? >> reporter: that is right. craig is a regular here at wheels in motion. he and the owner of the bike shop go on weekly group rides together. while they are very aware of the risks of cycling, namely cars, what happened saturday morning is something no one saw coming. >> freak thing. we were going down a hill, and turkeys ran out, and unfortunately, clipped craig. >> reporter: that's how greg andrade describes the cycling

accident that left his friend fighting for his life. 51-year-old craig elstons was on a 35-mile group ride through the hills saturday morning when a flock of turkeys ran right into his path. elkins collided with the gobblers going 40 miles an hour. >> what i saw was the birds just scatter. and that's what i saw. and then soon after that, i saw craig down. >> reporter: that area of contra costa county is filled with wild turkeys. we found flocks of them on the side of the road. jeff says he witnessed some bold turkey behavior just last week. >> they stopped motorists and two males were flaring their feathers and confronting the cars as they were trying to move around them. >> reporter: elston's friends say the benicia man who is now in critical condition with a skull fracture is an experienced and avid cyclist. they say the run-in with turkeys

likely couldn't have been avoided. >> they're there. i'm not saying just turkey, but anything. it could be a squirrel. it could be a rock. it could be anything that takes you down. but at high speeds, you don't have much of a chance with these little clothes on. >> reporter: now people have been stopping by this bike shop all day to try to find out some more information. i did have a chance to speak briefly to elston's wife who is at his bedside in the hospital. she says he is in critical condition but stable condition. he has a swollen brain, a skull fracture, broken jaw, and broken ribs. but she says he is a very strong man. he is 6'3", weighs 180 pounds, and is in top physical condition. his wife and three children are hopeful he'll pull through. reporting life in benicia, i'm jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >> okay, thank you, jodi. the drill here in the bay area, rain here means snow in

the sierra. and many drivers were nowhere near prepared. our nbc station in sacramento shows us the results. >> reporter: from digging out to spinning out to simply surviving -- >> man, this is crazy right now. these conditions right now is unsafe. >> reporter: this october 22nd blast of snow is proving a reminder of just how dangerous snowy weather conditions can be. and judging by the shorts and long lines of people not carrying chains that we saw today, just how unprepared the chp says some sierra travelers were. >> it's early, and it's a lot. >> reporter: so much snow fell all day, we witnessed car after car stuck or spun out in the snow. at times traffic was at a stand still due to accidents. highway 20 was even closed due to the conditions. >> we did a whole complete 360 on the freeway. >> reporter: so much snow had already fallen before noon, that here at blue canyon, it weighted down tree branchs so much so that they obscure highway road signs. did you expect this?

>> absolutely not. >> reporter: what were you expecting? >> 2 or 3 inches. >> reporter: and then we came upon this. the chp says the driver was going too fast and plunged down a bank. the driver was lucky to simply walk away. >> pretty amazing didn't land on a tree, nothing pierced a truck. the driver walked away with no injuries. >> that is amazing. >> it is so difficult to drive in the snow if you don't have your chains and you're not prepared. >> we could see more. let's check in with chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. >> two more waves of some moisture coming our way. look at our 24-hour rainfall totals. pretty impressive in santa rosa with over an inch picked up. in oakland close to 3/4 of an inch. walnut creek. as we get a look at the current temperatures, it's not only been about the rainfall, but the cold upper 50s and low 60s right now in the north bay. 61 currently in livermore and 60 in san jose. so the first significant rainfall of this season has now arrived. and as that radar scans around,

mother nature is not wasting any time on getting the second system in here this week. already starting to see that moderate rainfall up into the north bay. now beginning to approach san francisco, of course. we have the giants game happening at at&t park for tonight. we still cannot rule out a few isolated showers. if you're one of the lucky ones headed to at&t park, you definitely need to bring the poncho. we're expecting a chance of showers from right now all the way throughout the duration of the game. also, temperatures in the 50s. let's take you outside to the live hd sky camera network. we had heavy rain move by over the past two to three hours that is pushed out. look back behind downtown, and you can see some cloud top buildup at 20 to 30,000 feet. that's a sign of the instability in the atmosphere right now. as we also take you into the south bay, you'll find a mix of sun and clouds. a little plane action from san jose international airport, and also some blue skies. no rainfall in the south bay, but things are going to be changing up for us. a sign of the instability in the atmosphere.

it is ever so present. north of sacramento, we've been following some strong weather right near yuba city. starting to approach the interstate 80 corridor. right now they remain under a tornado warning here for colfax all the way down to auburn on that interstate 80 corridor. already three reports of tornadoes. just getting this one in. one in sutter, butte and yuba counties at this time. strong weather even across the corridor if you're headed up to the sierras. speaking of which, we already had a foot of snow. another foot expected over the next 24 hours with the snow level near 5,000 feet. so from summer weather last week right on into winter. here we go again. the jet stream is going to stay right over california, at least over the next two days. that's going to be good enough, not only to keep the cold air in place, but also we think enough instability for tuesday and wednesday for the chance here of some thunderstorms. temperatures remain in the 40s and 50s. and we'll find just 60s for those interior valleys. as far as that hour-by-hour futurecast goes, for tonight we'll continue to see rain

develop in the north bay. then it's going to start to shift to the south. by 11:00 p.m., we do expect showers across peninsula, also for the east bay. and that's going to continue for tomorrow morning. then we'll find our third system for this week starting to push in as we head throughout wednesday morning. so two more rounds of wet weather coming our way where we could see another quarter to about a half inch of rainfall coming our way. as far as our afternoon temperatures go over the next 24 hours, what we're going to find is anywhere from 60s to 70s here across the bay area, with also that additional snowfall up across the sierra. daytime highs expected in the south bay look like this for san jose. we'll go with 62 degrees. also low 60s across livermore and pleasanton. and 59 near san francisco. so in the three-day forecast, a chance of rain and also thunder tuesday and wednesday. then by thursday and friday we start to dry out and temperatures warm back up. so that 100% chance of rain we looked at on friday, it arrived

today. >> yes, it did. we'll be right back.

a teenaged driver who pleaded guilty to hitting a concord man and his two daughters today received the harshest sentence allowable. the violent scene on treat boulevard back in april said it all. from the crumpled child's bike toll the sheared off fire hydrant. the driver of the suv, david rosen was 21 years old when he killed a man and his daughter. a 12-year-old girl was also injured. rosen was 17 years old. today he was sentenced to remain behind bars at a youthful offender treatment program until he turns 21. the family is glad the suspect will receive counseling during his incarceration. in health matters tonight, investigating reports of five deaths linked to the highly caffeinated monster energy drink. last week the mother of a 14-year-old maryland girl filed a lawsuit against monster beverages. she says her daughter died of

cardiac arrhythmia due to caffeine toxicity. the girl had consumed two 24-ounce cans before slipping into a coma and dying. monster denied two cans can cause death from caffeine toxicity and vigorously defends its products. >> we'll be right back.

just a programing note here. 6:00 this evening, the final presidential debate begins. and then before that, though, stay tuned because "nightly news" will have a preview of what is coming up at 6:00. we'll see you then. >> and we'll be back at 11:00. good night, folks.

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